He said other smartphones -- like Android-powered devices -- are leaving Apple in its dust

Apple isn't the only tech giant who can throw a few punches in the competitive smartphone ring: BlackBerry's CEO took a couple of shots at Apple recently, saying the iPhone is old news.

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins told The Australian Financial Review that Apple's iPhone has been left behind during a storm of new smartphone releases (such as Android and BlackBerry 10 smartphones).

“Apple did a fantastic job in bringing touch devices to market...They did a fantastic job with the user interface, they are a design icon," said Heins. "There is a reason why they were so successful, and we actually have to admit this and respect that.

“History repeats itself again I guess...the rate of innovation is so high in our industry that if you don’t innovate at that speed you can be replaced pretty quickly. The user interface on the iPhone, with all due respect for what this invention was all about is now five years old.”

Heins went on to say that his company's own BlackBerry 10 smartphones surpass the iPhone in one way especially -- multi-tasking. He said BB10 phones can run multiple apps much like a laptop while the iPhone seems to lack in that area.

“The point is that you can never stand still," said Heins. "It is true for us as well. Launching BB10 just put us on the starting grid of the wider mobile computing grand prix, and now we need to win it."

Last week, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, was bad-mouthing Google's Android on the eve of the Samsung Galaxy S IV release. He said three-quarters of iPhone users say they're "very satisfied" with their experience while only half of Android users say the same, and that Android's biggest problem is its "plain and simple" fragmentation. Apple, on the other hand, is responsible for both the software and hardware of an iPhone -- hence, Schiller says, the experience is more seamless.

"With their own data, only 16 percent of Android users are on year-old version of the operating system," said Schiller. "Over 50 percent are still on software that is two years old. A really big difference.

"And that extends to the news we are hearing this week that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is being rumored to ship with an OS that is nearly a year old. Customers will have to wait to get an update."

Clearly Apple is threatened by Android's smartphone dominance, and BlackBerry is likely hoping to be an innovator in the smartphone realm once again as well. BlackBerry launched its line of BlackBerry 10 (BB10) devices in January of this year. At that time, it revealed the BlackBerry Z10 and the Q10 phones.The Z10 finally came to the U.S. March 12 as AT&T began its presale for $199 (with a two-year contract). The phone actually ships March 22.

Heins is optimistic about BB10 bringing BlackBerry back to life, as he was recently quoted saying that Z10 sales in Europe were "encouraging." He also said customers were switching from other platforms to BB10.

Another boost to BlackBerry could be a possible purchase of the company by Lenovo, which has been rumored. Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing told French financial newspaper Les Echos that it could eventually buy BlackBerry, but it needs to review such a decision first.

LOL... Whatever he is, he is clearly threatened by Android. He can't leave a single topic alone. Just like these CEOs and CMOs lately badmouthing the competition... It just makes you look petty and afraid.

Say what you want Android trolls, but Apple still takes most of the market's profit. For you spec fappers only the megapixels and gigahertz matter, but for the business specs are nothing and money is everything. For now Apple keeps pwning the other companies money wise, so I don't see the reason to get so agitated at Tony.

Don't get nervous guys, it's business as usual - Apple keeps getting most of the money, the rest waste their effort trying to catch up. Tony is stating the hard cold facts again. Don't shoot the messenger!

Wake me up when the picture changes in any way money-wise. It's been the same many years already, with Apple getting almost all the profit, I don't see the reason why it will change.

Funny, considering the iPhone 5 was what again? Oh right, it was a spec bump. Funny how Apple fans went nuts when they thought the iPhone 5 had the top spot in the spec war. Now that it's fallen behind again, of course specs don't matter. *eyeroll*

Plus they played the "me-too" card with making the screen bigger (well, longer, but still), after saying the iPhone 4 had the perfect size.

If you read anything in the entire thread, it was about features and OS. Apple has been left behind and it currently 4th in a 4 man race behind even hapless RIMM now. Dont say you dont know its true, you bought an Android too.

So what? Does it change the fact that Apple still takes almost all the profit in the market? Nope :P

Does my second WP7 phone change the fact that MS has lost the mobile computing race and faded into irrelevance? Nope :P (Surface RT is more like a random agony kick of a dying animal than a real useful device)

"So what? Does it change the fact that Apple still takes almost all the profit in the market? Nope :P"

You are right, it doesnt... But the conversation you joined in on wasn't about a companies profits, it was about the tech in phones and that Apple is 4th in a 4 man race. Being that even you most recent purchases (correct me if I am wrong) are Windows Phone, Blackberry OS10 and Android. That kind of backs up the point.

A trivial upgrade wrapped in a high budget and bad taste PR marketing stunt. Most of it's rumored features turned out to be vapourware.

There are only two players in the mobile device market, Samsung and Apple. Both are doing very well. Everybody else is failing and fading. Samsung sells more handsets than Apple but not at the high end, Apple sells more tablets and Apple makes more money. They both sell vast and growing numbers of devices. Everybody else hasn't got as clue. None of that had changed recently and won't change in the near future.

Both companies will continue to grow. Apple will continue to make the most money and will continue to build the most successful mobile platform as it heads to the one billion user mark.

The endless and tedious drivel about specs lists and differential rates of innovation means nothing. It's just the iPhobes equivalent to whistling in the dark.

Not at all on the S4. It's just another face in the crowd of great phones out there. Not even one of the better ones to me.

"The endless and tedious drivel about specs lists and differential rates of innovation means nothing. It's just the iPhobes equivalent to whistling in the dark."

OK, fine, stick with the pretend you don't understand the point thing. Apple is making money today, so they dont need to keep innovating. And that HUGE list of missing features? No-one wants features, its just fluff. Good luck with that.